In some New York City public schools, learning English doesn’t mean giving up your native tongue.

There are about 90 dual language public schools in New York City that aim to make students proficient in two languages. P.S. 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is one of them.

The student body is nearly all-Latino and almost half are designated ‘English Language Learners.’ The school has won the trust of immigrant families by immersing the students in both English and Spanish, but its report card from the city’s Department of Education was mixed.

Fi2W reporter Ramaa Reddy Raghavan investigated the school’s dual language program. In this podcast episode, she speaks with Fi2W executive producer John Rudolph about the challenges facing a school that has won accolades for its success in child development but struggles to meet the goals of the D.O.E’s standardized tests. Listen:

About Feet in 2 Worlds

Feet in Two Worlds brings the work of immigrant and ethnic media journalists from communities across the U.S. to public radio and the web.
Since 2005, this award-winning project has expanded the diversity of voices and stories on public radio by presenting the work of journalists representing a broad spectrum of immigrant communities including Arab, Bosnian, Brazilian, Chinese, Haitian, Indian, Irish, Latin American, Pakistani, Polish, and Russian immigrants.
Feet in Two Worlds reporters appear on nationally-distributed public radio programs including PRI’s The World, Studio 360, and The Takeaway, American Public Media’s Marketplace and NPR’s Latino USA, as well as on public radio stations WNYC, New York Public Radio, and WDET in Detroit.